HIST 141 Western Civilization 1
Description | Textbooks | Primary Source Readings | Western Civilization Links | WebTycho Login
Western Civilization is a survey of the history of western civilization (Europe and the ancient Middle East) from antiquity through the Reformation. The political, social and intellectual developments that formed the values and institutions of the western world are examined.
This class will look intensively into the development of Western Civilization from the dawn of man through the Protestant Reformation (roughly 1600). Among the many subjects we will address are the development of the first forerunners of western civilization in Egypt and Mesopotamia; the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome; the development of the Medieval world; and the first signs of the modern world in the Renaissance and Reformation. We will emphasize continuing traditions in the fields of government, philosophy and religion, and examine the evolution of the arts, technology and warfare.
Students will attain an introductory understanding of Western ancient and medieval history at a college level. Just as importantly, they will come to understand history not merely as a series of dates, names and events, but as a science - a field of human inquiry in which knowledge is neither arbitrary nor set in stone.
Students will learn to communicate on historical issues competently and coherently. Writing assignments and discussions will help hone the academic, social, and technical skills necessary to succeed in other areas of higher education and in public and professional life.
By looking at the distant past, it is hoped that students gain an appreciation for both the continuities and changes in human experience over time.
More specifically, students will
- be able to describe the major developments and trends typical for ancient and medieval history and the early modern age,
- be able to distinguish between primary and secondary sources and read them critically,
- sharpen their research and writing skills by writing on a topic of their choice, deepening their historical knowledge in the process,
- and develop their communication skills and historical knowledge by formulating opinions about historical issues and their importance for understanding humankind and western society today.
For their grades, students take two essay-based written exams and write a short research paper. I will consult with you about choosing an appropriate topic. I will also read any work submitted early and suggest improvements. If you have never written a research paper before or have had difficulty doing so, please consult my Research Guide. My standard Policy on Research Papers outlines my general expectations.
The backbone of the class, and large percentage of student grades, is class participation. My teaching philosophy emphasizes student participation in the creation of knowledge. In this class, I take that approach very seriously. The weekly units are not centered on the textbook, which serves as a backdrop and reference work for students, but around other texts, usually short primary sources. Every week, I introduce one, two or three short primary documents from history. Students then read the sources and discuss them with the other students in the class. Students are encouraged to approach the sources critically and form their own opinions about what the source means and how it contributes to our knowledge of the past.Some sources are chosen because of how they shed light on the daily life and customs of past societies. Others are chosen because of how they reflect attitudes about different aspects of life: politics, social class, gender roles or religion, for example.
Furthermore, especially in broad survey courses like this one, I also take the subversive power of history seriously. That means that we will, as a class, "historisize" things that are often considered outside of history. For this class that means, primarily, religion, but also the nation state. We will discuss early Christianity, the role of the Reformation, the deeds and misdeeds of Christopher Columbus, and other controversial subjects. Confronting students with the subversive power of knowledge is an extremely important aspect of education.
Textbooks
Mortimer Chambers, Barbara Hanawalt, Theodore K. Rabb, Isser Woloch & Raymond Grew, The Western Experience, 8th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2002.
Source Readings:
Below you will find most of the primary sources we will be reading and discussing over the course of the term. Introductory commentary and questions for discussion will be provided in the appropriate weekly online conference. Other, usually shorter, primary source readings will taken from the textbook or be included within the conference introductions.
Ancient History
- Hammurabi's Code (pdf)
- Husband and Wife in Troy (pdf)
- Death of a Greek Casanova (an oratory by Lysias) (pdf)
- Plutarch's Account of the Spartans (pdf)
- On Greek and Persian Power (pdf)
- On the Polity of the Athenians: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/424pol-athens.html
- Polybius on the Roman Constitution http://duke.usask.ca/~porterj/DeptTransls/Polybius.html
- Polybius: Diagram of Checks and Balances http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/rome-balance.html
- Letter from a Student: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/cicerojunior1.html
- Letters on the Christians: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pliny-trajan1.html
- Certificate of Paganism: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/250sacrificecert.html
- Zosismus: http://www.northpark.edu/history/Classes/Sources/Zosimus.html
The Middle Ages
- Cicero’s World View (pdf)
- Augustine answers Cicero (pdf)
- Donation of Constantine (pdf)
- Dictatus Papae: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/g7-dictpap.html
- Feudalism vs. Modernity (pdf)
- An excerpt from the Xanten Annals (pdf)
- Boccaccio on the Plague: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.html
The Modern Era
- Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses
- The Twelve Articles of the Peasants(pdf)
- Calvin's Geneva: http://history.hanover.edu/texts/calord.html
- Machiavelli: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/machiavelli-disc1-9.html
- Las Casas on the treatment of Amerindians: http://nahm.org/ColonialTextsCasas.html
- The diary of a cobbler from the 30-Years-War
Western Civilization Links
Primary Sources
The history sourcebooks at Fordham university are the best online place to look for primary documents on western history.
- The Ancient History Sourcebook has primary sources and other rescources on everything from the origins of mankind up to late antiquity, including material on the origins of Christianity.
- The Medieval History Sourcebook has primary sources and other resources on everything from the fall of Rome up to the Reformation and the Age of Exploration.
- The Modern History Sourcebook has primary sources and other resources on everything from the Reformation up to the present, including topics such as pop culture and postwar religious developments.
- The Avalon Project at Yale University is very good for primary sources from western history, although not as extensive as the history sourcebooks above.
- The Bible Gateway is the best online resource I have found on biblical texts. It has a missionary purpose and does not include related items such as the apocryphal books or pagan sources. Nor does it include scholarly commentary on the passages. But it offers a wide range of possible translations in English and numerous other languages and is thus not tied to a particular denomination or interpretation.
- The Brooklyn College History Department has put together an image bank of pictures from the modern age.
- The Art Images for College Teaching webpage has free images of various themes from western history.
- Guantanamo Testimonials Project
Lectures and other Secondary Sources
- Gerhard Rempel, a professor at Western New England College has posted his lectures on western civilization online. They cover lots of subjects, from "Moses and Homer" up through the middle ages.
